


Where We Belong

by theinamorata



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Canon Continuation, Canon Era, Canon Universe, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, High Fantasy, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Sequel, Slow Burn, Unofficial Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24668587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinamorata/pseuds/theinamorata
Summary: Catra is restless. Several months after Horde Prime’s defeat, she still struggles to fit in with the “Best Friend Squad.” When Bright Moon gets a desperate call for help from another planet, Catra goes along, eager for a change of scenery and determined not to disappoint Adora again. But not everything is as it appears on this mysterious planet—and its inhabits harbor many secrets, including the truth about where Catra came from. If she wants to find out the truth about her past, she will risk losing Adora forever.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 190





	1. The Shadow of Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> This novella-length work is set shortly after the events of Season 5. I plan on releasing new chapters every few days (most of it is already written). I’m a professional novelist! Follow me on Twitter: @atmorrell.

Catra woke before dawn, like always, her heart pounding from a fading dream. She laid perfectly still, heterochromatic eyes blinking in the darkness. Her ears twitched, straining to hear any unusual sounds, but there was only Adora breathing slowly next to her.

Adora liked to toss and turn in her sleep, the sheets getting tangled up around her legs during the night. Catra didn’t mind. She hated sheets, anyway. Before she and Adora shared a bed, Catra always slept on top of her blankets. Sleeping under them made her feel trapped, stifled—vulnerable. But over the past three months, she’d grown used to going to bed with sheets spread out over the two of them. They always ended up kicked off, anyway.

Adora had rolled over, one arm slung over Catra’s chest, her nose tenderly touching Catra’s neck. She could feel Adora’s warm breath against her skin, a metronome to keep her steady, and it made her heartbeat slow.  _ Stay calm, _ she thought.  _ Everything is fine now.  _

Despite having lived the past three months in Bright Moon, sharing a room and a bed with Adora in Bright Moon Castle, Catra hadn’t yet shaken her old survival instincts to always be on alert. She checked for shadows down every hallway, listened carefully for any misplaced footstep that might signal an intruder. It didn’t matter how often Adora told her they were safe now—years of habits were hard to break. Waking up before dawn was one of them.

Catra ran her fingers softly down Adora’s arm and caught the sleeping girl’s hand in her own. She held it for a few moments, feeling the soft familiarity of Adora’s fingers, then lifted it gingerly off her waist. She paused, listening to Adora’s breaths, counting the seconds between them to be sure she was still asleep—she didn’t want to wake her. Once she was sure Adora was still sound asleep, Catra pushed herself out of bed and slinked quietly across the room. It was minimally decorated—the few decorations they had were gifts from their friends, not anything they’d acquired on their own. Catra didn’t like having  _ things _ . Things weighed you down. Objects were easily broken and lost. She didn’t see the point.

Getting dressed quietly was second nature to Catra. She slipped off her loose maroon nightshirt and pulled on her usual clothes—a sleeveless red top with a high collar, and black leggings that clung close to her slim legs. She’d never worn pajamas before she’d come to Bright Moon, but then again, comfort was a new concept to her. In the Fright Zone, she always had to be ready for a fight, even in the dead of night.

From the corner of the room, a shimmering, ethereal figure stretched and yawned before padding their way over to Catra’s side. She put a hand atop Melog’s head, letting the large cat-like creature nuzzle against her. With Melog, it was easy—no words needed to be exchanged, no opposing forces of will tugged away from each other. She and Melog were so inextricably connected that they felt like an extension of Catra’s very mind. They walked in a synchronized step toward the window.

A dim orange light broke over the horizon and began to filter through the sheer curtains. Catra cast one more look at Adora—she’d rolled onto her back now, spreading out in the place Catra vacated. Adora always liked to take up the whole bed.

Beyond the window was a crisp Bright Moon morning. Everything was shaded in light pink and orange hues, the buildings soft and flowing like water poured gently from a pitcher. Catra never got used to how soft everything in Bright Moon was. The buildings, the chairs, the people—not a day passed that she didn’t remember the harsh fluorescent lights and concrete rooms of the Fright Zone. They were less comfortable, sure, but they were much more familiar to her.

A gentle brush against her tail sent a shock through her body. Catra turned to see Adora propped up on one elbow, her hand stroking Catra’s tail gently before falling away. Adora looked up at her with pale blue eyes, her sandy hair loose and cascading around her shoulders.

“Don’t be late,” she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

The corner of Catra’s mouth ticked up slightly. What day was it? Oh, right. Tuesday. There’d be a Princess Alliance meeting today.

“I won’t be,” Catra whispered back, flicking her tail gently against Adora’s hand. She leaned over and placed a kiss on Adora’s head. Adora smiled beneath her before settling back into the covers. Catra climbed into the window frame, Melog beside her, and jumped into the brisk dawn.

***

One of the things Catra liked best about the early morning is that no one was out and about. When Adora wasn’t around, people still had a hard time talking to Catra. She didn’t blame them—she’d been their enemy for so long, how could they trust her? Since Horde Prime had been defeated, some small factions across Etheria had tried to gain power, but the Princess Alliance made peace before they got too carried away. She’d get a sideways glance any time there was even the slightest unrest, though she honestly had nothing to do with it. She didn’t care about that kind of thing anymore. The only thing she cared about was inside Bright Moon castle right now, sleeping in her bed.

But still, she was restless. Every morning she’d slip out from the castle under the shadow of dawn and head to the Whispering Woods. She used to hate these woods—they’d stolen Adora from her, after all. But living in Bright Moon had changed her opinion of them. When you weren’t walking through them with a group of annoying chatterboxes, there was an assortment of amazing sounds.

Catra liked to perch high in a certain tree that had crooked, odd-looking branches. It wasn’t as beautiful as the other trees, and it didn’t quite fit in, but it was doing its best. She could relate. She took a deep breath as she walked toward the tree, inhaling the crisp Bright Moon morning. This place was nothing like the Fright Zone, which was all engines whirring and motor oil. This place felt like magic.

She climbed up her tree, sat, and listened. Melog perched beside her, a still and silent sentinel. A breeze hummed around her, making music on the leaves of the trees. She closed her eyes and let the chill nip at her skin. The cold feeling reminded her something, something she didn’t want to get too comfortable to forget: no matter how good things were at the moment, they were bad before, and they could be bad again.

Catra felt the sun creep up her back like a slow, silent stalker. Bright Moon was waking up, and the sounds drifted into the Woods—wagon wheels on cobblestones, laughter on the breeze. She opened her eyes. She didn’t want to go to the Princess Council meeting, not now, and not ever. She didn’t care about princesses or politics. If it were up to her, she and Adora would go far away and live in a little house on a piece of land that they controlled, away from all the other people. Maybe somewhere in the verdant fields before you hit the Crimson Wastes. They could hunt for food, and trade leathers with traveling caravans, and maybe even raise goats, and—

But it was getting late, and Catra needed to head back to Bright Moon castle before her imagination got away from her. She had to face the facts: Adora would never leave Bright Moon, not even for her. Sure, they’d saved the world, but Adora loved to be a hero, and she would never give that up. When Catra suggested they get their own place, somewhere near the Woods just outside the city so that Adora could still do her royal duties or whatever, Adora wasn’t interested.

_ “We have everything we could ever want here,”  _ she’d said.  _ “Why would we leave?” _

Adora didn’t understand that Catra  _ didn’t _ have everything she wanted. There was one thing Bright Moon castle couldn’t give her: space.

Catra jumped off her branch and landed lithely on the ground. She was getting worked up in her own head again, and it always made her feel itchy and restless. Melog rubbed their cheek against her shoulder, a quiet comfort. She turned back toward Bright Moon, but a rustle in the trees behind her made her pause.

Quick as an arrow, Catra slipped behind her crooked tree and sniffed the air. She could something—human, probably—and the rustling was getting louder. She peeked around the tree, but there was nothing there.

“You don’t have to hide, dearie,” said a voice right behind her. Melog growled. Catra spun, claws extended, then stopped herself. It was just an old woman with long, silver hair. She held a walking stick in one hand and a half-full basket of berries in the other. Catra didn’t lower her claws—how had this old lady snuck up on her?

“I wasn’t  _ hiding _ ,” Catra said, letting her voice slide easily into malice. “Who are you?”

“Of course you weren’t,” the old woman said, and she turned on her heel. “Now come along and help me look for Mara.”

Catra froze at the mention of the name.  _ Mara _ . Adora had told her about Mara, the previous She-Ra who lived a thousand years ago. There was no way this old woman could be looking for the same Mara, was there?

The old woman disappeared through the trees. Catra wanted to follow her—she was good at following, watching, and listening. But the sun rose higher and she knew she needed to be back in Bright Moon soon, or else she’d be late. Again. Adora wouldn’t like that. It would be just like back in the Fright Zone when she depended on Adora to make excuses for her. She’d been trying her best not to fall into that old habit.

But if this had something to do with Adora, then Catra felt an obligation to find out.

“Hey! Wait up!” Catra tore through the trees after the old woman. She was shockingly fast considering her age, and she wove in and out of the brush as if she did it every day. Perhaps she did. Catra followed her into a part of the forest she’d never been to before. The trees grew thicker here, and a large insect the size of her head narrowly missed flying right into her face. But the old woman did not slow down, and neither did Catra.

Finally, they came to a clearing in the trees. In the center of the clearing were several bushes bursting with red berries. The old woman knelt down by the bushes.

“Mara’s late,” she said. “She said she would be here!”

“Mara’s dead,” Catra said. “Don’t you mean Adora?”

The old woman stood up and walked back to Catra. She squinted at her through thick, round glasses.

“You’re not Briony,” the woman said. She poked Catra with her walking stick the way you might poke an animal to see if it's dead.

“Watch it with that thing!” Catra swatted the stick away.

“Nope, not Briony,” she said. “Then you must be Adora’s friend.”

“That’s right,” Catra said.  _ Friend _ wasn’t exactly the right word for what they were, but she couldn’t expect some crazy old lady to know that.

“Well, it makes sense, after all, neither of you being from Etheria,” she said, then turned back to the berry bush.

“What did you just say?” Catra tried to grab her shoulder, but the old woman hit her hand with the walking stick.

“No time!” the woman said. “I need to find Mara.”

The old woman darted out of the clearing. Catra followed.

“Wait! Come back!” She ran after the woman, heels pounding against the dirt as she jumped over rocks and logs. Melog ran beside her, nose sniffing the air. They paused. They lost sight of the woman somewhere in the trees. “What do you mean neither of us is from Etheria?”

The old woman reappeared right in front of her, and Catra had to dig in her heels to stop herself from crashing right into her. She was out of breath—she’d gotten too soft these past few months.

“Tell me what you mean,” Catra said, panting.

The old woman blinked at her.

“Tell you what, dearie?” the old woman asked. “I swear, Briony, you make no sense sometimes. Now, where has Mara gotten off to?”

Catra pulled at her hair and groaned.

“Forget it,” she said. “You’re crazy.”

Catra ran back through the trees, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. She realized she didn’t know where she was. She’d never been to this part of the forest before, and in chasing the old woman she’d gone farther than she’d thought. She hated that she wasted so much time on that old woman.

_ It makes sense, after all, neither of you being from Etheria. _

Catra stopped and extended her claws, then swiped them at the nearest tree, making deep gashes in the bark.

“You don’t know anything about me!” she shouted, at no one in particular.

She looked up. The tree she’d scratched had been her favorite—she was back where she started. She stared at the gashes, her heart sinking in her stomach. This tree was the one place in the Whispering Woods she loved, and she’d ruined it. On top of everything else, she was late.

Why did she have to ruin everything?


	2. A Call for Help

Adora thrummed her fingers against the sleek, silver table. She sat in her spot at the table in the War Room, which was no longer an accurate name now that Horde Prime was defeated. (Perfuma had suggested things like, “The Room of Love,” which was unilaterally shut down.) Their job was mostly diplomacy now, which was why the table wasn’t full. So far, with two minutes to go until the meeting began, only Spinnerella and Netossa were in their seats, and they were talking about their vacation plans.

“I can’t decide if between the cream-colored swimsuit or the bright blue,” Spinnerella was saying.

Netossa peeked at her tablet over her shoulder.

“Oooh, they both look so good!” Netossa squealed. “Adora, what do you think?”

Adora’s eyes had been alternating between the clock and the door. She jumped when she heard her name, and banged her knees on the cold table.

“Ow! Um…”

Spinnerella held out the tablet. Adora looked at the swimsuits, but she’d never been one for fashion. And Catra hated swimming, anyway. But she’d look so cute in a swimsuit…

“Earth to Adora,” Netossa said. “Which one do you like better?”

“Uh, the cream,” Adora said.

“Good choice,” Netossa agreed, then went back to talking with Spinnerella

Adora turned back to the door. If Catra could be early once in her life, they could hang out like that before meetings. But Catra was always running off, and it seemed like the tighter Adora tried to hold on, the slipperier she became. But Catra said she would be here on time, and Adora wanted to trust her word. She knew Catra was trying. Adjustment to life in Bright Moon had been… difficult. It’d been difficult for Adora, at first, but Catra was not as outgoing as she was. Getting people to understand Catra took time. Part of Adora worried that if she wasn’t already part of the trusted Best Friend Squad, the others wouldn’t put in the effort.

The large doors to the War Room opened, and Adora sat up a little straighter. Glimmer King Micah walked in, their heads bent toward each other as they talked in low voices. Behind them, Bow was showing Perfuma a new arrow he’d created. Adora hoped that Catra was right behind them, but no. The door closed. No Catra.

The air filled with the scent of evergreen and lavender as Perfuma created a wreath for the center of the table. Glimmer and Micah took their seats, looking grim. Adora wasn’t used to seeing Glimmer looking so serious. Since Horde Prime had been defeated, the past three months had been mostly filled with parties and small diplomatic missions (which were also parties, just abroad). But now Glimmer sat with her elbows on the table and her fingers pressed together, her forehead wrinkled in deep thought.

“Glimmer?” Adora asked, putting Catra out of her mind for a moment. “What’s going on?”

The rest of the table fell quiet. For a moment, the silence fell heavy around them.

“I don’t want anyone to freak out,” Glimmer said finally, pressing her palms to the table. “But the easy days of peace might be over.”

***

The sun was high in the sky by the time she got back to Bright Moon castle. She’d hopped onto Melog’s back and together they ran as fast as they could into the city, not caring that the residents stared at them as they went. Let them stare. She didn’t jump off Melog until she reached the bridge to the castle. She slicked back her hair and nodded to the guards as she strut into the main hall.

She knew she didn’t have to do that. She knew she didn’t have to pretend. As much as Adora had told her to take it easy, she just couldn’t let go of her pride.

Catra pushed open the doors to the War Room and lingered in the doorway. The chatter at the big table stopped as all eyes turned toward her. She padded slowly to the table, toward her empty seat beside Adora. Adora was dressed impeccably—she wore her usual gray leggings beneath a flowing white tunic embroidered with gold thread. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, and when her eyes met Catra’s, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Catra looked away quickly—Adora looked so beautiful, and so disappointed in her. She couldn’t bear it. She slipped into her seat without a word, Melog shifting silently to fit in the space beside her.

Glimmer, sparkling and resplendent as always, put her palms on the table and glared at Catra.

“So nice of you to finally join us,” Glimmer said.

Catra bit her tongue. It took every ounce to self-control to not respond with something haughty and arrogant.

“I got held up,” she said instead. It was the truth.

Adora turned to her, but Catra still didn’t meet her eyes. Adora placed a hand on Catra’s knee under the table. The touch caused a switch to flip in Catra’s brain. She wished none of these other people were around so that could bury her face in Adora’s shoulder, grip her tightly and kiss her neck and—

But there were other people there, and she couldn’t.

Adora squeezed her knee, and Catra felt warm all over. She couldn’t resist Adora’s touch. She put a hand over Adora’s and squeezed back.

“While you were  _ held up _ ,” Glimmer said, “we were discussing an urgent distress call we received through Entrapta’s new interstellar communication network. Where is Entrapta, anyway?”

“Here!” Everyone looked up, unsure of where Entrapta’s voice had come from. Suddenly, the air vent above them flew up, and Entrapta dipped her head out. She pushed her big goggles up onto her forehead. “I was rewiring the communications system so we could get better reception in this room. And it’s not exactly  _ interstellar _ . Currently, it only reaches communicable planets within our solar system, and even then getting a reliable transmission is shaky at best—oh, right, sorry, not the point.”

“Just play the call, please, Entrapta,” Glimmer said, putting a hand to her forehead.

Entrapta pressed a few buttons on a tablet, and a disembodied voice began to speak.

“This is Jewelstar calling from the planet Casarus,” the voice said, crackling with static. “If you can hear this, we request immediate assistance from She-Ra. Please, if you can help us—”

More static, and then nothing.

“We haven’t been able to make contact since,” Glimmer said.

Adora’s grip tightened on Catra’s knee, her nails digging into Catra’s skin. The whole table sat silent and grim. Catra had never seen them this way before—up til now, it had all been sunshine and rainbows. But war—this was what Catra was made for.

“Who was that guy?” Catra asked finally.

“One of the Star Siblings,” Adora said. “I met them just before we saved you from Horde Prime. They’ve been working hard liberating the other planets. But Horde Prime is gone. What could be threatening them?”

“There are other forces than just the Horde,” King Micah said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Empires rise and fall, just like the Horde and the First Ones before them. This could be an enemy we are unaware of yet.”

“Are we going to help them?” Perfuma asked, panic and concern saturating her sickly-sweet voice.

“Of course we’re going to help them!” Glimmer said. “They’re our friends, and it’s important for us to maintain good interstellar diplomatic relations.”

“Again, it’s not really interstellar as there’s only one star—”

“The  _ point is _ ,” Glimmer said, cutting Entrapta off, “If there’s a threat to the galaxy, we need to make sure we quash it before it gets to be as big as Horde Prime.”

Catra shuddered. The very thought of Horde Prime and his hive mind made her fur stick up on end. The nightmares still plague her, even three months after she escaped his grasp. She’d never forget the feeling of thick, viscous fluid filling her lungs, of an all-knowing, controlling presence in her mind, of suffocating beneath his grasp—

Adora squeezed Catra’s knee harder, and finally Catra swatted her away. She couldn’t take Adora’s pity, not now. Not when some other power-hungry aliens were out there somewhere terrorizing people. She was strong enough to move past this on her own.

But as soon as Adora moved her hand, Catra grabbed in again. This time she wove her own fingers into Adora’s and squeezed tight.

Maybe she could move past it on her own, but she didn’t want to. She wanted Adora. Letting herself give in to that desire was something she’d been working on. Running away was easy. Letting herself be loved was harder.

The conversation had moved on while Catra was lost in thought.

“You’re needed here in Bright Moon, Glimmer,” Bow said. “I’ll go with Adora—we’ve already had one successful space mission together. It’ll be Space Mission Part Two: Even Spacier!”

“But Bow—”

“Send me,” Micah interjected. “If this is to be a diplomatic mission, then a representative from the royal family of Bright Moon will be a show of goodwill.”

“We don’t know if this is a diplomatic mission or a rescue mission,” Glimmer said. She put her hand on her father’s arm. “I don’t want to lose you when I just got you back.”

Catra rolled her eyes. She couldn’t take any more sappiness.

“I’ll go,” she said. All eyes turned to her. The attention made her ears twitch.

“Catra,” Adora said, “you don’t have to—”

“Sparkles is right,” Catra said. “That recording sounded pretty desperate, and we don’t know what we’re up against. You all have diplomatic things to do around here, and you know I’m no good at those. At least if I go I can hit things, and keep  _ this one _ out of trouble.”

She gave Adora a playful punch on the shoulder. Glimmer pursed her lips, considering.

“It’s not a bad idea,” Micah said.

“All right,” said Glimmer. “Adora, Catra, and Entrapta are going on this mission. I hope whatever the problem is can be solved peacefully. I want you all back safe.”

Glimmer’s eyes misted. Catra stood up, releasing her claws on the hand that didn’t hold Adora’s.

“Don’t worry, Sparkles,” Catra said. “We defeated  _ Horde Prime _ . Whoever thinks they can threaten the peace of the universe doesn’t know what they have coming.”

The meeting dissolved into plans for getting the space ship fitted for launch, so Adora and Catra slipped out the door while Entrapta talked about the upgrades that needed to be done. Once in the hallway, Catra let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“You were late,” Adora said.

Catra looked away. She’d hoped Adora wouldn’t mention it.

“You can talk to me, Catra,” Adora said. “Do you really hate it here so much that you want to go to outer space to get away?”

“I don’t hate it here,” Catra said, letting Adora’s hand slip away. “Do you love being a hero so much that you have to run off to space the second someone asks you to? You don’t have to go, you know. You don’t have to listen to what other people tell you to do.”

“I’m doing it because Jewelstar’s my friend,” Adora said. “But I’m doing it for me, too. You’re right. I  _ do _ love being a hero. I miss being She-Ra and helping people. That’s what I’m good at.”

Adora wrapped her arms around herself, and Catra realized that maybe Adora wasn’t as satisfied with life in Bright Moon as she’d thought. She lifted her fingers to Adora’s face and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then laid her palm against Adora’s cheek. Adora closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

“Oh, Adora,” Catra purred. “You just miss being eight feet tall and hitting things with your giant sword.”

Adora laughed, and Catra’s heart leaped at the sight of her smile.

“That too.” She turned her eyes up to Catra, looking at her under long eyelashes. “You really want to come?”

“To be honest, I’ve been itching to get out of Bright Moon. Everything here is so…  _ pastel _ .”

“You want to leave Bright Moon because of the color scheme?”

“A change of scenery. That’s all.”

“If this is about moving out of the castle—”

“Not everything is about something else, Adora!” Catra yelled, pulling her hand away. Her tail flicked, frustrated, and she looked at her feet. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

It was Adora’s turn to put her palm on Catra’s cheek. She lifted Catra’s face toward her so that they could feel each other’s breath. Adora looked at her so softly that Catra felt like she was melting. She leaned into Adora’s body, into the softness of it, finally letting go. When Adora’s lips touched hers, it was like every ounce of frustration, of anger, of restlessness was washed away. There was nothing left at that moment, not even Catra or Adora—instead, they were one single being. They were where they belonged: together.

Adora pulled her lips away but pulled Catra closer to her in a tight embrace. Her lips brushed against Catra’s ear.

“I’m glad you’re coming,” Adora whispered.

Catra closed her eyes. It didn’t matter where they were—the Fright Zone, Bright Moon, or outer space—as long as they were together, Catra felt safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has supported this project thus far. This is my first fanfic in a long while, and I'm so happy to be contributing to such a vibrant and supportive community. If you feel so inclined, please follow me on Twitter @atmorrell or on Tumblr @itsinamorata as I'll be posting updates for this fic in both those places. Thanks again! - Amber


	3. Down the Drain

The day before the launch, Catra, Adora, Bow, and Glimmer went down to the grass field just outside Bright Moon Castle. It was a warm, sunny day, and they wanted to savor the nice weather before heading off into cold, dark space. Glimmer and Bow lounged on the side of the field, both them sporting matching sunglasses as they sunbathed.

Adora and Catra stood on the grass facing each other. They wore matching form-fitting gray leggings and tight, long-sleeved white shirts—comfortable for sparring. They did this every few days to keep themselves sharp. After all, they used to spar together every day in the Fright Zone. It was one of their favorite things to do. Their fighting styles had changed over the past months they were apart, but that only made their new sparring matches more interesting. 

“Get her, Adora!” Bow shouted, peering at them over his tanning reflector.

Adora sprinted at Catra, who ran at her in turn. She dodged Catra’s first swipe—her claws were out, and Adora knew Catra had no qualms giving her a few scratches. They turned, and Catra swiped again. This time, Adora blocked the blow with her forearm before throwing at punch at Catra, who easily dodged. Catra lunged a third time, but Adora crouched and tried to swipe Catra’s legs out from under her. Catra jumped out of the way, flipping backward to put some distance between the two of them.

Adora’s chest heaved, her eyes locked on Catra on the other side of the field. Her clothes clung to her with sweat. Adora was ready this time—when Catra lunged at her, she feinted left before darting to the right. She grabbed Catra by the waist, catching her off-balance, then flipped her over. Her back slammed against the ground as Adora pinned her down.

“Point for me,” Adora said.

“Tch.” Catra rolled her head to the side, annoyed. “I let you have that one.”

“Sure you did,” Adora said. She moved her face lower toward Catra’s. “Just like the last one, and the one before—”

“Oh, shut up,” Catra said, but her voice was gentle. She didn’t resist Adora’s grasp. Instead, her eyes met Adora’s. There was a mischievous glint in them. Catra leaned forward suddenly and caught Adora’s lips with her own.

Adora was surprised, but she gave in easily to the kiss. Catra, usually all claws and teeth in public, was a very soft kisser. Adora closed her eyes, savoring it—until Catra’s teeth clamped on to her lower lip.

“Gotcha,” Catra said, the word muffled by their connected mouths.

Adora tried to pull away, but Catra only bit down harder. Adora lifted her hands off Catra’s shoulders, and Catra took the opportunity to roll them both over so that she was on top.

“Get a room, you two!” Glimmer called from the edge of the field.

Adora, now on her back, was pinned. Catra straddled her waist, with her knees on either side of Adora’s hips, and finally let go of Adora’s lips.

“Point for me,” Catra said with a smirk, giving Adora a quick peck.

Adora pushed Catra off of her and sat up.

“That hurt!” she said, rubbing her lip.

Catra started laughing, and Adora couldn’t help it: she laughed too. Seeing Catra sitting in the middle of a green-grass field, smiling… it was the best feeling in the world. All the pain they’d endured, all the fighting and the hardship had been worth it for this one moment. Adora would do it all over again if it meant she could have _this_ , forever. This was perfect. This was home. This was where they belonged.

On the other side of the field, Glimmer folded up her reflecting board.

“I’m _starving_. Let’s get some lunch.”

“We’ll catch up,” Adora told them. “We need to get cleaned up first.”

Catra caught Adora’s eye and purred.

***

When Catra first moved into Adora’s room in Bright Moon Castle, she was in awe at the large, cavernous rooms, the plush carpets, and the lavish amenities the residents of the palace enjoyed. Back at the Fright Zone, she’d always slept in a room with a dozen other people and shared a bathroom with just as many. She’d grown used to cold showers and firm mattresses and protein-enriched food bars and had no idea there was any other way to live. Once she’d started fighting the princesses, she’d scoffed at their garish lifestyles. Who would actually _want_ so many frills? It all seemed so complicated.

But after living in Bright Moon for a while, there were certain things that she enjoyed. She liked the feeling of soft carpet under her feet and the silence it provided. She liked taking long, hot showers, with soaps that smelled like sandalwood and pine. Adora even convinced her to take a bath once—she was extremely skeptical of the water at first, but once Adora eased her in and washed her, it was actually quite pleasant.

Catra ran all the way from the field to their shared room, Adora following fast on her heels. Adora barely managed to get the door closed before Catra pounced. Adora toppled easily onto the plush carpet, and the two laughed as they rolled around on the floor. They laid on their backs beside each other, chests heaving. Catra rolled onto her side and looked at Adora—she was so beautiful, especially when the blue light from the crystals that lined the walls fell on her face, casting her in an otherworldly glow.

“Ready to hit the shower?” Catra asked.

Adora smirked up at her. “That desperate to get me naked, huh?”

Catra extended her claws.

“If I was desperate, you’d be naked by now.”

Adora pushed her shoulders and jumped up, laughing, and Catra chased her to the bathroom.

The bathroom was unlike anything Catra had experienced before coming to Bright Moon. Like the rest of the rooms in the castle, it had a tall, domed ceiling with shimmering lavender walls. A chandelier made of hundreds of blue crystals hung in the middle of the chamber, illuminating the entire room. On one wall was a large mirror above a white marble sink. Against the other wall was the shower, a large marble-tiled space separated by glass doors. Beside the enormous shower was a white claw-foot tub.

Adora stood in front of the mirror and pulled the elastic from her hair, letting it cascade down her shoulders. Catra came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Adora’s waist. She buried her face in Adora’s hair and inhaled, smelling the floral shampoo she liked to use mingled with the musky smell that was uniquely _Adora_. Adora closed her eyes, letting Catra hold her until Catra extended a claw and hooked it on the collar of Adora’s shirt. She pushed Catra away.

“Stop! You’ve torn enough of my clothes,” Adora said, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “The tailor is sick of making me new ones.”

“They look better torn,” Catra said with a shrug.

“They look better torn _on you_ ,” Adora said. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing the gray sports bra she wore underneath. Then she turned around and faced Catra.

“Arms up.”

Catra put her arms up. Letting Adora undress her made her feel vulnerable, and usually she hated that feeling. But it was different with Adora. When Adora gave her little commands like that, it made her feel warm inside.

Adora slipped her fingers under Catra’s shirt, her fingertips sliding against Catra’s skin. All of her fur stood on end as Adora lifted the shirt over her shoulders. Adora slid her fingers back down Catra’s waist—slowly, gently—until they looped into the waistband of her leggings, and she pulled those down, too. Catra stood in front of Adora naked, bare, vulnerable—and Adora patted her on the head, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered, “Good girl.”

Catra’s entire body shuddered. Her skin felt like it was on fire. She was glad Adora turned away to start the shower so that she couldn’t see her blushing. She followed Adora to the glass shower. Water fell from the showerhead and created steam that quickly filled the room. Adora grabbed Catra’s hand and pulled her into the shower. She wrapped her arms around Catra’s body and held her close, then kissed her deeply as the hot water beat against their skin.

This was why Catra didn’t hate water as much anymore.

They took turns washing each other. First, Adora scrubbed Catra’s back with a soap that smelled like honey and oats. Then Catra took the loofah and scrubbed Adora. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against Catra’s shoulder.

“I’m going to miss this shower when we’re in space,” Adora said.

“You know the space ship has a shower, right?” Catra asked.

“Yeah, but it’s not big enough for both of us.”

“We’ll find a way,” Catra said with a smirk.

Adora heaved a heavy sigh and turned around to face Catra, draping her arms over Catra’s shoulders.

“We always do, don’t we? Even when we’re not on Etheria.”

The words made Catra go still as stone. Her hands trembled on Adora’s skin as she thought of the words of the crazy lady in the forest: _Well, it makes sense, after all, neither of you being from Etheria._

The words echoed in her head as if she was hearing them out loud, as clear as day. She’d forgotten about them in the past few days, with all the hubbub of getting ready to go to space. She’d pushed the old woman and her words out of her mind, but now they were back, beating down on her and scalding her hotter than the water.

“Catra? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Catra said, shaking herself. She looked up into Adora’s wide, worried eyes. She didn’t have to lie to Adora or hide this from her. She could talk to her, even if it was difficult. She had to try. Catra took a deep breath. “Okay, it’s not nothing.”

Adora tucked a wet strand of hair behind Catra’s ear. “Tell me.”

“A few days ago, before the council meeting, there was this crazy lady in the forest,” Catra explained. “She said she knew you. And that she knew Mara. And she knew me, too. And she said… she said I’m not from this planet.”

Adora put her hands on Catra’s shoulders.

“Catra, listen to me. Don’t worry about what she says, okay? That’s Razz, and she helped me find out about the First Ones and a bunch of She-Ra stuff but… she’s not exactly _all there_. She gets confused all the time and she probably wasn’t even talking about you.”

“But what if she’s right?” Catra closed her eyes and rested her cheek on Adora’s hand. “What if I’m not from here?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Adora said. “The Horde found you in a box when you were a baby, and Etheria was in Despondos for a thousand years.”

“ _You_ came from another planet,” Catra pointed out, blinking water out of her eyes.

“That’s different.”

Catra bit her tongue. It was so easy to fall into her old habit of flinging insults when she felt heated. _Oh, right, you’re different. You’re special. You’re the favorite._

She took a deep breath and swallowed those words. She didn’t mean them, even if she thought them. She didn’t have to lash out. She just had to breathe.

“Catra…” Adora’s voice was so gentle, so comforting. Catra let Adora pull her close. She felt a purr begin to rumble deep within her chest. “It doesn’t matter where we came from. What matters is where we are right now.”

Adora was right. The present moment was perfect, even if Catra knew it couldn’t last. Tomorrow they would be in space. But for now, there was nothing but the hot shower and each other. Catra slipped her tail around Adora’s wrist.

“Right now,” she purred, “I know _exactly_ where I want to be.”

She leaned in and kissed Adora deeply, and let all her other thoughts wash down the drain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this somewhat indulgent shower scene... I promise the next chapter will be more plot-heavy. Maybe. :P If you like this story, please follow me on twitter @atmorrell or on tumblr @itsinamorata. I appreciate any comments or shares. Thank you all for your support!


	4. The Infinity of Space

The next morning, Catra did not follow her normal morning routine. She didn’t slink out of bed before dawn and slip out the window with Melog. Instead, when her eyes snapped open in the darkness, she rolled over and held Adora tight. She tried to tell herself it wasn’t morning yet, that the sun wasn’t creeping over the horizon. She pretended that the night was going to last forever and that they would never have to leave this bed. Catra clutched Adora so tight that her claws snagged at Adora’s smooth satin nightgown.

Adora mumbled in her sleep and turned toward Catra, slinging an arm around her. Catra laid still, enjoying the warmth from Adora’s body. But eventually, the room filled with sunlight, and Adora opened her eyes and blinked sleepily at Catra.

“Hey, you,” she said, her voice thick with sleep. She kissed Catra on the forehead. “Today’s the day we go to space.”

Catra had been so insistent on going, but now she wished she could lie here in Adora’s arms instead. The idea of going launching into an airless void  _ on purpose _ filled her with the same sort of dread as jumping into an icy cold lake on a dark night in the middle of winter. But she didn’t let her fear show—if Adora was going, she was going, too.

They got out of bed and went to the large walk-in closet where they kept their clothes. The closet was much bigger than it needed to be. Adora had a dozen of her favorite shirt-and-leggings combo made by the castle tailor. At least, she used to have a dozen. As she pulled several off the hangers to tuck into her overnight bag, she paused and cocked her head quizzically.

“I thought I had more of these.”

Catra stifled a laugh, pulling her own clothes off their hangers and stuffing them into her duffle. She had a few red tops—but also several of Adora’s shirts, which she’d torn to be more flattering. Adora grabbed the bag out of Catra’s hands and pulled out one of the shirts.

“Catra! I told you to stop stealing my clothes.”

Catra snatched the bag and the shirt back.

“You said they looked good on me,” Catra said.

Adora huffed and ruffled Catra’s hair.

“Brat,” she muttered under her breath.

Catra stuck out her tongue, proving Adora’s point. In addition to their regular clothes, they’d been given several sets of deep purple flight suits emblazoned with the Bright Moon insignia. The material was meant to ease their motion in a low-gravity environment in case the gravity stabilizers malfunctioned, which Entrapta ensured them only had a fourteen percent chance of occurring. Catra held one up. The fabric shimmered as it caught the light.

“Why  _ purple? _ ”

“Glimmer picked it.”

Catra made a gagging sound, but she still put on the flight suit. Adora put on hers, too—and when Catra saw Adora in the form-fitting, shimmering fabric, she suddenly didn’t hate the color choice.

***

When Catra, Adora, and Melog walked into the banquet hall for breakfast, they were greeted with an unexpected fanfare. Glimmer had hung purple and silver streamers between the pillars, and dozens of gold-foil balloons were tied to every possible surface. The main banquet table was covered with endless bowls of fruit, sizzling bacon, and fresh-griddled pancakes, centered incongruously by an ice sculpture. Adora did a double-take when she realized it was a sculpture of  _ her _ —or rather, She-Ra.

It seemed like everyone in Bright Moon had come to the castle for breakfast. The other princesses were there, of course: Scorpia and Perfuma chatted with Bow by the punch table, Mermista sat with her face buried in her hands as Sea Hawk sang a regaling ballad to a few starry-eyed villagers, and Frosta stood on the table, using her ice powers to rearrange the sculpture of Adora into different poses. But there were plenty of people there that Catra did not recognize—employees of the castle, maybe, or nearby villagers invited for the special occasion. Either way, it was way more people than Catra was comfortable being around.

Glimmer appeared from somewhere among the crowd and ran up to Adora, throwing her arms around her in a warm embrace.

“Glimmer! What is all this?” Adora asked.

“It’s your going away party!” Glimmer chirped. “You didn’t think we’d let you blast off into space without saying goodbye, would you?”

Catra rolled her eyes. Everyone in Bright Moon was always looking for an excuse to party. Not that she minded—Catra followed her nose over to the banquet table, leaving Glimmer and Adora behind in exchange for something greasy and savory. Her fingers were inches from a sausage link when something hard caught her arm.

“Catra!”

Scorpia loomed over her and pulled her into a hug. Catra bristled but didn’t fight it, and a few moments later Scorpia let her free.

“It’s good to see you, former best friend! Well, not that we’re  _ not _ best friends, it’s just that I haven’t seen you in a few months and you haven’t answered any of my letters—”

“It’s nice to see you, too, Scorpia.”

“We miss you in the Fright Zone!” Scorpia continued without missing a beat. “When you get back from your space mission, you should totally come see what we’ve done with the place—it’s completely different than you remember. Perfuma introduced me to this concept called  _ feng shui _ , and to be honest I still don’t really know what it is, but she says that it’s harmonizing the negative energies of the Fright Zone into positive ones. Oh, I can’t wait for you to see it.”

Catra’s eye twitched.

“It sounds… great.”

“And since trade opened up with Bright Moon and the other kingdoms again, we don’t have to eat those horrible energy bars anymore. Kyle and Rogelio and opening the Fright Zone’s first bakery! And Lonnie…”

Catra let Scorpia continue talking, but she let the words float past her. A few months ago, she would’ve told Scorpia to stuff it. But she was working on listening, even when she didn’t really want to, and Scorpia had always been kind despite how Catra had treated her.

But in truth, it was difficult to listen to Scorpia talk about the Fright Zone. The Fright Zone had been her home—no, more than that, her  _ entire world _ —until very recently. It held good memories, but also many fraught and painful ones, ones she wasn’t ready to confront. And to think that it was becoming a place of happiness and warmth and  _ harmonized energies _ —Catra didn’t think it could ever be that way for her. They could paint over the sterile white walls and fill the rooms with the smell of freshly baked bread, but they could never erase the pain she experienced there. Still, she didn’t have the heart to tell Scorpia she would not be visiting any time soon. So she listened.

“…and then I told him, woah, that really put the sour in sourdough!”

Scorpia laughed, and Catra laughed, too.

“It sounds like you’re doing a lot of good work,” Catra said. “I can’t wait to see it.”

Scorpia’s eyes lit up as she beamed from ear to ear. It almost made the lie worth it.

Once Scorpia had moved on to gush about her renovations with someone else, Catra finally snagged a few sausage links. Several other people came up to wish her good luck in space, and she thanked them as politely as she could, but soon her patience ran thin and she began to feel irritable. Melog rubbed their face against Catra’s thigh, sensing her urgency. Catra put a hand on the cat’s head and took a deep breath.

“I know,” she whispered. “Not much longer.”

She was right—a few moments later, Glimmer tapped a silver spoon against her goblet and announced that it was time to head to the field for the launch.

***

The First Ones’ space ship sat in the middle of a large, grassy field a good distance away from Bright Moon castle. The dark metal was polished into a silver sheen that reflected the sun, and Catra had to shield her eyes from the brightness. The gangway of the ship was lowered, revealing a set of stairs leading up into the ship’s airlock. Micah and Glimmer stood beside the gangway, and Glimmer motioned for Catra and Adora to stand beside them. They stood awkwardly for several minutes, the sun beating down on them uncomfortably, until Glimmer leaned over.

“Have either of you seen Entrapta?”

As soon as Glimmer spoke her name, they heard a banging and crashing coming from the ship. Catra spun around, but the sound wasn’t coming from the gangway. Instead, a metal panel popped open from the side, and Entrapta popped her head out. She was wearing the same shimmering purple flight suit as they were, but hers was covered in black grease. Her face fell when she saw them.

“Oh, that’s not good. This shouldn’t have opened to the outside.”

She hopped out from the open panel, turned around, and pulled out a long metal rod from her pocket. The crowd watched, amazed, as she began to weld the panel back on. It took only a few moments, and when she was done she wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked at the rest of the crowd.

“Sorry, am I late?”

Everyone stared at Entrapta in silence, but Catra couldn’t help but erupt in laughter.

Adora glared at her, and Catra bit her lip.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, we’re about to  _ launch into space _ in this thing. Am I the only one who finds this hilariously dangerous?”

“Entrapta knows what she’s doing,” Adora said.

Glimmer took a deep breath.

“Okay, well, now that you’re here, we can begin.” She cleared her throat and stepped forward toward the crowd. “People of Bright Moon! Today, we send three of our best to the aid of those who aided us in our time of need. Today, we will show the world—no, the  _ universe _ —that Bright Moon is dedicated to peaceful relations with our allies and our friends.”

On the last word, she turned to look at Adora. Her eyes were wet with tears, but there was something else there—nervousness? Fear? Glimmer threw her arms around Adora.

“I’ll miss you,” Glimmer said into Adora’s neck.

“I’ll miss you, too.”

Glimmer pulled away and then turned to Catra, much to her surprise. Glimmer wrapped her arms around Catra, and Catra bristled, unsure of how to react. She didn’t get hugged often. She had to admit that it wasn’t bad.

“Be safe,” Glimmer said quietly. “Come back to us.”

When Glimmer pulled away, Catra put a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Sparkles. We will.”

After a bit more fanfare—Perfuma made them all flower necklaces and flower crowns to wear into space, and Wrong Hordak cried into Hordak’s shoulder as they said a tearful goodbye to Entrapta—it was time to board.

***

The last time Adora launched into space, it was a rush job. They’d been under attack from Horde Prime’s forces, and it was only Micah’s disguise that had bought them enough time to launch. Adora had been running on so much adrenaline, both from battle and from her determination to save Glimmer, that she didn’t blink at shooting into Etheria’s atmosphere at an impossible speed. Back then, she would have done anything to save Glimmer. Indeed, launching into outer space wasn’t even the scariest thing she had to do.

Now, however, with more time to mull over all the possibilities of failure, she felt a little differently. Not only were they blasting off into a somewhat unknown situation, but she also had Catra by her side—and if anything happened to Catra, Adora would never forgive herself. Even now, she started to doubt whether it was a good idea for Catra to come along. She’d be safer on Etheria, where there were things like gravity and oxygen. As they sat down in their seats on the bridge—Entrapta had installed more seats, as well as seatbelts, to help take-off be a little smoother—Adora opened her mouth to tell Catra she didn’t have to do this. But when she saw Catra effortlessly buckle herself into the seat beside her, Adora decided against it. Catra would not accept that as an answer, she knew. She would never let Adora leave her behind again.

Adora took her seat in the captain’s chair, the large, angular seat that used to belong to Mara. Entrapta stood at the controls, pushing a seemingly endless amount of buttons in quick succession. Adora was glad that Entrapta was coming along—in fact, she was the only one who knew the complete inner-workings of Mara’s ship, especially since she’d made many upgrades since their last voyage. There’d been a briefing on the mechanics of how it worked, but all the processes got jumbled up in Adora’s head. If nothing else, she’d do what she did with malfunctioning tech in the Fright Zone—hit it until it started working properly.

“Trajectory set for the planet Casarus. We are clear for launch,” Entrapta said from the control panel. Adora could feel the whir and thrum of the engines vibrating beneath them. “On your signal.”

Adora met Catra’s eyes. If she was nervous, she wasn’t showing it. She looked as calm and collected as ever, and Melog beside her was, as usual, unreadable. But perhaps Catra saw the hesitation in Adora’s eyes because she reached out and grabbed Adora’s hand in her own. 

“Take us to the sky, Entrapta.”

If the engines were whirring before, now they roared. The sound was deafening as Entrapta quickly took her own seat. Catra’s nails dug into Adora’s skin. Even though they’d experienced take off several times while gallivanting around the galaxy, it was nerve-wracking every time.

The entire ship rumbled and shook, and then suddenly the momentum was unbearable. Adora felt plastered to her seat, like the very air was weighing her down as her brain rocked and rattled in her skull. Lights flashed all around and her vision blurred. Entrapta was talking into her recorder, something about altitudes and atmospheres and a bunch of strings of numbers that all blurred together. Adora couldn’t see straight, never mind  _ think _ straight.

Finally, the chaos stopped, and the heavy weight pressing on her dissipated. Catra still clung to her hand, but they both lifted their arms up just to prove that they could. Adora felt as light as air in comparison to before. She looked to Catra, but Catra wasn’t looking at her. She was looking out the large windows at the front of the ship, at the inky black expanse of space dotted with millions and billions of dazzling stars. Adora saw the stars reflected in Catra’s eyes and squeezed her hand.

They might’ve been surrounded by the infinity of space, but the only thing Adora needed in the entire universe was right beside her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient with the release of this chapter. I spent the last few weeks moving to a new place, which caused things to be a bit chaotic. I'm settled in now and will be releasing chapters more frequently now. I appreciate all of your comments! This has been so fun to write and I hope you stick with it to the end.


	5. The Signal

Catra had forgotten just how long space travel took. After the adrenaline rush of takeoff, they began to cruise through the endless inky blackness of space. Unlike traveling on Etheria, there were no landmarks or signs to indicate how far they had gone and how far there was left to go. It would have been boring if Catra wasn’t so on edge.

There was a brief moment of chaos when the gravity stabilizers malfunctioned, and they floated around the ship bumping into each other while Entrapta reconfigured the settings. But after that, Catra couldn’t take her eyes off the monitors. She tracked their position on the monitors as keenly as a mouse would be tracked by, well, a cat. Adora, however, was letting the boredom get to her. She drummed her fingertips along the armrest, crossed and un-crossed her legs, and hummed the Horde Victory Song in three different pitches before Catra finally punched her in the arm.

“Will you knock it off?” Catra snapped. “I’m trying to focus.”

Adora leaned over Catra’s shoulder to look at the monitor screen. It depicted a three-dimensional grid with hundreds of tiny dots, indicating planets. Each one had a label. Some were labeled with names, and others with numbers or simply question marks. Many planets were still unknown to the Etherians. Catra wondered if, perhaps, she’d really come from one of those unknown planets. On the screen, they all blended together, a fabric of glowing white stars. Two of the dots stood out from the others: a bright blue dot labeled _Etheria_ , and a red dot labeled _Casarus_.

Catra’s brow wrinkled as she stared at the screen. Adora lifted a finger and placed it on the wrinkle, right between Catra’s eyebrows, and pressed as if she were trying to smooth it out. Catra slapped her hand away, but she was smiling.

“Staring at it won’t make us get there any faster,” Adora said.

Catra sighed and finally pulled her eyes away from the screen.

“I know. I just… I’m worried about what we’re walking into. We have no idea what the situation is.”

“Whatever it is, we can handle it,” Adora said confidently. “With my brain and your muscle, we can do anything.”

“I think you have that backward,” Catra said, and the two of them broke into a fit of laughter.

A frustrated groan came from the front of the bridge.

“Entrapta?” Adora asked timidly. “Everything okay up there?”

Entrapta turned around and lifted her goggles to her forehead.

“Define _okay_ ,” Entrapta said. “Considering we’re traveling at high speeds through the vacuum of space and all of our environmental protocols are functioning perfectly, we’re _okay_.”

Adora and Catra exchanged a nervous glance.

“So… is that a yes?” Adora asked.

“I thought launching into space would improve our communication channels with Casarus, but I still can’t manage to make a connection,” Entrapta said. “What’s even more curious is that I can no longer contact Etheria, either. There must be some sort of malfunction with the hardware… oh well, guess I get to take it apart again!”

Entrapta snapped her goggles back to her face, but Catra caught her arm before she could begin disassembling part of their ship.

“Wait a minute,” Catra said. “Are you sure it’s a hardware issue?”

“This level of communication is still fairly experimental,” Entrapta explained. “I haven’t had many opportunities to test it at long ranges, so the likelihood of failure is fairly high. Seventy-one percent, in fact. Do you have any other ideas?”

Catra’s eyes narrowed.

“Sabotage.”

“Sabotage?” Adora stood up abruptly. “Catra, who would want to sabotage us?”

“I don’t know,” Catra said. “I’m just saying that we should be prepared for it to be an option.”

“Entrapta, see if you can troubleshoot the issue.” Adora took Catra’s hand and led her gently back to her seat. “Catra… I know the Horde prepared us to think betrayal was around every corner. But you’re among friends now. No one in Bright Moon would sabotage this mission.”

“I’m not talking about Bright Moon,” Catra said. “Just because we defeated Horde Prime doesn’t mean we can get complacent. It’s not like there aren’t other people out there, with other goals that could be just as sinister. If the universe was peaceful or whatever, Jewelstar wouldn’t be calling for help.”

Adora considered this a moment and then sighed. “You’re right. We need to be prepared for anything.”

“And while you’re at it, stop treating me like damaged goods,” Catra snapped, pulling her hands away.

“I just want you to trust us, Catra. To trust me! Sometimes… I don’t feel like you do.”

“I do trust you,” Catra said. “And I trust Entrapta’s tech, and that’s why I don’t think it’s a _hardware issue_.”

“I appreciate your faith in my work!” Entrapta called from the front of the deck. Her arms were buried deep in bundles of wires beneath the unscrewed control panels. “Also, I think Catra might be right. I don’t think it’s a hardware problem. I think it’s—”

Before Entrapta could finish, an earsplitting tone rang through the entire ship. Catra covered her ears, but it didn’t help. It ricocheted through her brain, and she fell out of her chair and onto the floor. Bright white light blinded her vision as she clawed at her hair. The sound—the horrible sound. She wanted it out of her head, to stop, but it filled all of her senses. It felt like her head was going to explode. Catra forced her eyes open to see Adora and Entrapta standing over her. How was it not affecting them? It was so loud, it was like she couldn’t feel her body anymore. Her vision blurred, and she could barely make out Adora’s concerned face before she faded into nothingness.

\---

Catra awoke lying on a soft bed, staring up at the network of pipes and wires that lined the ship’s ceiling. She was covered by a thin sheet, but her feet had an extra weight—it was Melog, curled up at the foot of her bed. Catra pushed herself up onto her elbows, and her head swam. It was it then that she remembered the sound and the awful head-splitting pain that had come with it. She winced and took a deep breath, steeling herself. The sound was gone, but her head still ached, and the room tilted around her. When she finally pushed herself up into a sitting position, she reached out a hand to pat Melog on the head. Just being near Melog gave her some comfort.

The door to the sleeping chamber slid open, and Adora stood there, a panicked look on her face.

“You’re awake!” She ran to Catra’s side and threw her arms around her. Catra grimaced at the way her head thudded at the sudden movement, but she didn’t mind so much. Having Adora here meant she could handle anything.

“What happened to me?” Catra asked.

Adora pulled back and sat on the edge of Catra’s bed. Her lips were pressed into a thin line.

“We’re not sure,” Adora said.

Catra’s hand went to the back of her neck. She could still feel the scars of where Horde Prime had mutilated her and implanted his horrible chip on her. 

“Do you think, somehow, Horde Prime…”

“Catra, Horde Prime is dead,” Adora said with certainty. “Entrapta thinks some sort of signal is jamming all our communications, and that it affected you somehow.”

Catra had two thoughts: first, of _course_ it was sabotage. And second, why did it only affect her? She put her had to her forehead. Her head ached too much to think about this right now.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” she groaned. She balled her hand into a fist, but Adora grabbed it and loosened her fingers.

“We’ll figure it out,” Adora said gently. “We always do. But until then, you should rest.”

Adora gently pushed Catra back down onto her pillow and tucked the blanket up around her. She lifted a cup of water to Catra’s lips, but Catra grabbed it out of her hand.

“I’m not so weak that I can’t drink my own water,” she said. Adora smiled at that—and Catra was glad to see her smile. The last thing she wanted was for Adora to worry about her.

“You know, I didn’t think that we’d be in this situation again,” she said, taking the cup from Catra and setting it on the side table. “You being incapacitated on a spaceship and me having to comfort you and all.”

“I’m starting to think I’m allergic to space,” Catra said bitterly. “If we survive this mission, I’m never going to space again.”

“Agreed,” Adora said. She wove her fingers between Catra’s and squeezed. “We belong on Etheria, with our friends.”

When Adora said that, Catra couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Something was missing in her current life that she couldn’t quite put a finger on. And then there was what Madame Razz had said—that she wasn’t from Etheria at all. Did she really belong in Bright Moon?

Adora shifted her body so that she was lying next to Catra. She tucked her head between Catra’s neck and shoulder. Catra could feel her breath on her skin, and she felt goosebumps erupt all over her body. Whenever Adora was near her, was touching her, she felt alive. She might not know where she truly belonged, but she knew she never wanted to leave Adora’s side. 


End file.
